The Staple Singers

The Staple Singers were a United States gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Pops Staples, the patriarch of the family, formed the group in 1951, signing with United Records, then Vee-Jay, Riv

The Staple Singers were a United States gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Pops Staples, the patriarch of the family, formed the group in 1951, signing with United Records, then Vee-Jay, Riverside and, finally, Epic Records.

It was on Epic that the Staple Singers began moving into mainstream pop markets, with "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)" and "For What It's Worth" (Stephen Stills) in 1967. In 1968, the Staple Singers signed to Stax and released two albums with Steve Cropper and Booker T & the MG's - Soul Folk in Action and We'll Get Over. By 1970, Al Bell had become producer, and the family began recording at the fame Muscle Shoals studio, moving in a more funk and soul direction. The first Stax hit was "Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom Boom)". In 1972, the group had a No. 1 hit in the United States with "I'll Take You There." Their 1972 recording on Stax of "Respect Yourself," written by Luther Ingram and Mack Rice, was number 2 on the R&B charts and a Top 40 pop hit as well. The song's theme of self-empowerment had universal appeal, released in the period immediately following the intense American civil rights movement of the 1960s.